With the election of former environmental minister Valli Moosa ‒ aka “action man” ‒ as president of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), important environmental issues are likely to be pushed on to the international agenda.
For the next four years Moosa will be the “global voice of conservation”, as he told the Mail & Guardian last week after his election at the IUCN conference in Bangkok.
Moosa is eying the oceans and will petition the world to place more marine areas under protection. The fishing trade is slowly killing the world’s marine life and many maritime species face extinction.
“Only one percent of the ocean is protected, as opposed to 12% of the land surface,” Moosa said. “Very little has been done to protect the high seas.”
The former minister was instrumental in setting up South Africa’s four marine protected areas earlier this year. He wants to build on this experience during his term as president of the world’s most powerful environmental organisation.
But to execute his plans, Moosa realises that he will need friends and influence. That is why one of his first steps as president will be to lobby for a permanent seat for the IUCN at the United Nations. Currently the IUCN has observer status.
Statistically the IUCN humbles most organisations. In 2003 the external operating income of the IUCN was just over R566,2-million. The conservation union counts within its ranks 81 countries, 730 national non-governmental organisations and 77 international NGOs. Over 10 000 scientists work on the IUCN’s six commissions and their studies carry a formidable reputation.
Moosa agrees that the World Conservation Union is a sleeping giant, but says that “slowly the union is building up and it now has tremendous potential to be unlocked”.
His campaign for the presidency of the IUCN focused on his success as minister of environmental affairs and tourism. The hugely popular minister made an enormous impact on South Africa’s environmental scene with innovative legislation, including his famous control measures on plastic bags.
“My election gives prestige to the kind of conservation that has been happening in South Africa,” he says. “The South African way should be taken to the rest of the world.”
The position of president is a non-executive one and totally voluntary. Many members felt that because of this, past presidents were nothing more than lame ducks. But Moosa said that as president he will have the strength of the “formidable” IUCN members behind him to fight important battles for conservation.
“A big difference can be made in the world in this position,” he said.
Moosa intends to encourage dialogue between business and conservation. He says that if conservation is to be mainstreamed, conservationists can not afford to ignore the mining and oil companies.
Membership in the union is diverse and members do not always agree. Some IUCN members believe that biodiversity is the priority and do not wholeheartedly support the “people and conservation” strategy that the new president will bring to the organisation. But Moosa said there is room for everyone.
“The IUCN is a broad church,” he said. “The organisation’s very power is hidden in its diverse views and huge membership.”